KARACHI, Dec 19: The leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly, Nisar Khuhro , on Tuesday accused Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Altaf Hussain of hatching a conspiracy for dividing the city on ethnic lines by whipping up violence and identifying it as a problem of the Pakhtoons or Urdu-speaking people.

In a statement issued from the Bilawal House media cell, Mr Khuhro said violence was part of the MQM’s conspiracy to achieve its “nefarious” objectives in the coming elections. But he vowed that the PPP and politically enlightened and mature people would not let the MQM succeed in its alleged conspiracy.

Mr Khuhro rejected Mr Hussain’s allegations of complicity against the PPP in Friday’s violence and said that such politics was the trademark of the MQM. He alleged the MQM founder had in the past pitted the innocent Urdu-speaking people against Sindhis, Punjabis, Pakhtoons and Baloch people for achieving his ulterior objectives.

He alleged that because of the MQM’s politics violence, street crime, extortion and other crimes had surged besides growing unemployment.